Hey all, I'm new to this forum and really new to the rotary engine... and almost just as new to working on my own car... so sorry if I sound like a total idiot here.

So this is what I've got: I bought an 84 rx7 from a friend about 6 months ago for cheap due to the fact that he overheated the engine critically. It has a very good suspension, good breaks, was a newly rebuilt carburator etc. Due to the engine being done for (at 140,000 miles) I just figured it would be a good parts car. Here's the 84 rx:




So about a month ago I bought this 79 rx for 300 bucks:



Its suspension is done for.. rotted bushings, rust all the way around.. I can jiggle the suspension a couple inches from the stabalizer arms... its done. However it has an 85 12a that has 80,000 miles on it and was running great until I replaced spark plugs, cap and rotor and ran into some cooling problems... seemed to troubleshoot the cooling problems down to a gunked up radiator that needs to be replaced as well as timing problems most likely due to the new plugs. On top of that, the transmission may need to be replaced (its the same transmission from the older engine which was taken out at 199,000 miles). It whines a lot at higher revs even though it has oil and all that.

I guess my question is this... I know that the 79 body style is different from the 84 body style. Is it even possible to switch suspensions from the 84 to the 79? On top of that.. would it just be easier to take the 85 engine out of the 79 and into the 84 due to the fact that it has the good transmission and suspension? Or would it be easier to put the suspension on the 79 and the transmission onto the 79 instead of moving an engine around?

Hope thats enough.. I'm so new to all this that its a bit overwhelming.. just trying to get one good gen 1 between the two lol.

I would appriciate anything you all have to say about this...

 

Well you did good on the parts car. On the suspension you might just be better off buying new rubber parts and struts then removing everything and painting it with POR 15 or Hammerite to encapsulate the rust. Then reinstall with new parts.

I am not sure on the conversion but it should be do-able.

 

It all depends on wich car you want to drive.

It would be way easier to pull the motor from the 79 and put it in the 84. But before you do this i would try and work out those over heating issues while the motor is still in the 79, so when you do the swap you wont have to do anymore trouble shooting.

There is a lot more work involved in swapping the suspension from the 84 to the 79 but it is doable. But you did say you have some issues with the tranny in the 79 and the tranny in the 84 is different so you would either have to modify the transmission tunnel or the transmission to get it to fit correctly.

Hope that helps.

 

Hey thanks guys for the advice.. probably what I needed to hear. I called my friend just a bit ago and told him what you had said.. he's happier to help me swap the engines instead of the suspension so I guess that will work out I'm going to make sure the cooling problem is worked out before I swap so I'm doing that today. So thanks again !! Hopefully Ill have a good rotary here before long!

 

Nice wheels on the SA they are from the 83 LE and are rare, only 5000 built

The 84 looks like a non sunroof model, makes a great basis for a race car due to being stronger and lighter, no framing around the hole on the lid.